Device for protecting receptacles against freezing.



- G. W. TRIBBEY.

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING RECEPTACLES AGAINST FREEZING. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 31. 1915.

1,226,030. Patented May 15, 1917.

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DEVICE FOR PRGTECTING RECEPTACLES AGAINST FREEZING.

Application filed July 31, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Gnoaen W. Tureenr. a citizen of the United States,residing at h larshfield, in the county of Coos and State of Oregon,have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements inDevices for Protecting Receptacles Against Freezing, of which thefollowing is a specification.

it is well known that, with water cooled internal combustion engines,and particularly those used for automobiles, there is a liability ofconsiderable damage being caused if the water in the cooling system isallowed to freeze. This is also true in other cases as in water tanks orthe like. The present invention relates to a device or arrangement whichis intended to protect such. engines or receptacles against freezing.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a simple andeflicient device for protecting receptacles from being injured by thefreezing of any liquid. therein; to provide a safety device for use inconnection with vessels containing liquids, which will break and permitthe discharge of the liquid under freezing conditions; and in general toprovide such a protecting device as will be more fully describedhereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention:

Figure 1 is aside view of a preferred formof my improved protectingdevice;

F is. 2 is a. horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;and,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified form ofconstruction.

As shown in these drawings 4; represents a. receptacle which mayindicate the water jacket, or any other portion of the water coolingsystem of an internal combustion engine, or any vessel which it isdesired to protect against freezing. In order to protect such vessel orreceptacle, I provide a safety device which is intended to be afi'ectedby the low temperature so as to permit the escape of the liquid in thereceptacle before it freezes. In the arrangement shown in Figs.-

1 and 2, I provide two elbows 5 and 6 which are tapped into the bottomor lowermost part of the receptacle 4. s A. tube 7 of glass or othersuitable frangible material is inserted between the opposed open ends ofthe elbows or connections 5 and 6 so that the liquid or water in thereceptacle 4 will fill such tube. This tube is preferably madeSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented m 15, tori.

Serial No. 112,389.

with two constricted portions 8, 8 with an enlarged portion 9 betweenthem. lVhen the water reaches a freezing temperature, the

tively insnre the free escape of the water, I

prefer to insert a spring 10 between an'abutment 11 in the elbow 5 and aring or washer 12 at the end. of the tube 7. A packing ring 13 isinserted between the washer 12 and the end of the tube in order to makea tight closure. A similar packing ring ll is inserted between theopposite end of the tube and a: shoulder or abutment 15 in the elbow 6.lVhen the tube 7 is broken. the spring 10, which is under compression,willforce the broken end of the tube out of the elbow 5 and will leave afree passageway for the es cape of the water so that the water will notbe apt to freeze at the discharge opening.

By means of this device it will be readily seen that, when the liquid orwater reaches a freezing temperature, the safety tube will be broken andwill permit the escape of the water from the engine or other receptacleand will prevent the engine from being broken or injured by the freezingwater.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 3, a threaded plug 16is inserted in the lower part of the receptacle 1?. A tube 18, which ispreferably of tapered or conical form and closed at its outer end, 1sprovided with an outwardly projecting flange 19which engages with theouter end vof the plug 16, a washer 20 being inserted to insure a tightclosure. A flanged collar or union is used for connecting the tube 18with the plug or connection 16. The operation of this form of the deviceis substantially the same as that above described. The tube 18, beingrelatively small, will freeze first and as soon as it is broken, willpermit the escape of water from the receptacle 17. The protective deviceor tube may be located in such position that it might be accidentallybroken so that when necessary I provide a shield or guard therefor. Theguard 23 as shown in Fig. 3 is made of any suitable material such asperforated m tal or woven wire, and is held in position and thereby savethe by being clamped between the union 22 and the shoulder on the plug16. When the device is used in connection with an automobile engine,this guard may also serve to somewhat protect the tube 18 from the coldwhen the car is in motion, so that it will not be inadvertently frozenwhen there is no likelihood of the water freezing in the engine orradiator.

It will be noted that this device can be easily applied to engines orother receptacles and a supply of the breakable members may be kept onhand so that when the tern perature goes below the freezing point theonly part which will be injured is the glass tube which may be replacedat a small cost possibility of a serious and expensive injury. It willalso be noted that various forms of tubes or frangible members may beused in accordance with this invention, and such tubes may be arrangedor connected in various ways Without dcparting from the scope of thisinvention, and therefore I do not wish to limit myself to the particularconnection shown except as specified in the following claims in which Iclaim as my invention 1. The combination with a receptacle, of a glassmember having a connection be tween the same and the vessel, and adaptedto be broken by the freezing of water therein, and a spring associatedwith said glass member and adapted to eject the broken por tion of themember out of the connection, in order to make a free passageway for thewater.

2. The combination with a receptacle for water, of between the frangiblemember and the lower copies of this patent a frangible member, aconnection.

portion of the receptacle, a spring associated with said frai'igiblemember and adapted to force the broken'portion thereof from theconnection when the member is broken, and a perforated guard around saidfrangible member, for protecting the same and also for holding thebroken portions thereof in case the member is broken.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a vessel,a glass tube, connections between the tube and the vessel to permit thewater in the vessel to enter the tube and a spring associated with saidtube, the arrangement be ing such that the tube will be broken by thefreezing of the water therein before the water in the vessel is frozen,and when broken will permit the escape of water from the vessel, saidspring serving to eject a portion of the broken tube to make a freepassageway for the water.

a. The combination with a receptacle, of a glass'tube having a reducedportion there in, connections from the end of the tube to the vessel,and a spring arranged between one end of the tube and its connection sothat the spring will force the end of the tube out of the connectionwhen the tube is broken.

5. In a protective device of the character set forth, the combinationwith a vessel or receptacle, of a pair of connections, a glass tubehaving constricted portions forming a restricted area therebetween, andhaving its ends fitting in said connections, and a compression springarranged between one of said ends and its connection and adapted toeject said end when the tube is broken.

GEORGE W. TRIBBEY.

may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents,

Washington, D. G.

